Method for the incubation of eggs and hatching chickens, as well as pheasants and the like



April 25, 1939. w. T. HAGER 2,155,937

METHOD FOR THE INCUBATION OF EGGS AND HATCHING CHICKENS AS W ELL ASPHEASANTS AND THE LIKE Original Filed July 22, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet l Y YINVENTOR. M'Zson THagci; BY ATTORNEY.

lL-ll-II'II W. T. HAGER April 25, 1939.

METHOD FOR THE INCUBATION OF EGGS AND HATCHING CHICKEN-'5. AS WELL ASPHEASANTS AND THE LIKE orlglnal Flled July 22,1951

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

M15022 Tfla BY A TTORNE Y.

NN N %w x m m .3 3 MR W. T. HAGER ION OF EGGS AND HATCHING PHEASANTS ANDTHE LIKE METHOD FOR THE INCUBAT CHICKENS, AS WELL AS Original Filed July22, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 25, 1939.

INI'ENTOR.

ATTORNEY,

Aprll 25, 1939. w. T. HAGER 2,155,937

METHOD FOR THE INCUBATION OF EGGS AND HATCHING GHICKENS, AS WELL ASPHEASANTS AND THE LIKE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed July 22, 1931INVENTOR. L/LZSOIZ Hagar,

' ATTORNEY.

2,155,937 ION OF EGGS AND HATCHING PHEASANTS AND TH E LIKE April 1939.w. T. HAGER METHOD FOR THE INCUBAT CHICKENS, AS WELL AS Original FiledJuly 22, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR. M'Zson THwgez; ,BY

ATTORNEY.

, April 25, 1939.

W. T. HAGER METHOD FOR THE I-NCUBATION OF EGGS AND HATCHING IN V EN TORM7502; Henge);

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 25, 1939 METHOD FOR THE INCUBATION OF EGGS AND HATCHINGCHICKENS, AS WELL AS PHEASANTS AND THE LIKE Wilson T. Hager, Erwinna,Pa., assignor to Willet V. Hager, Erwinna, Pa.

Original application July 22', 1931, Serial No. 552,486. Divided andthis application January 7, 1936, Serial No. 57,866

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method for the incubation of eggsand hatching ofi chickens and similar fowl such as pheasants, andessentiaily the invention has for its purpose the 5 idea of introducingfresh air through the center of a hatching chamber, generating heat atsuch central portion and mixing said heat with the air creating aconstant uniform temperature laden with constant uniform moisture,giving said air 10 an undulated course, circulating said air in acentrifugal direction with uniformity to every portion of the interiorof an incubator cabinet, also introducing additional moisture,constantly agitating same, the distribution being centrifu- 151 gallyfrom polygonal points of a rotating drum on the interior of the chamberof the cabinet, and hence causing full and healthy growth to the chickswhen hatched. "The apparatus disclosed herein is claimed in my PatentNo. 2,026,530,

issued January 7, 1936 '-on an application filed July 22, 1931, SerialNo. 552,486, of which this application is a division. a V

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an in- .;cubator constructed tocarry out the improved steps of the method.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3-is a horizontal longitudinal sectional 3Q, view on line 33 ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional View Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 3. 35; Figure 6 is asectional view on line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is an enlarged plan view of the innermost cylinder of the aircirculating means.

Figure 8is an enlarged detailed sectional view 4 of the lower right handcorner of Figure 2.

Figure9 is an enlarged sectional view of the inner portion of the lefthand side of Figure 2. Figure 10 is a detail view of a portion of one ofthe heating elements shown in Figure 8.

45 Figure 11 is a transverse sectional view of an egg on line 4-4 of Thecabinet is preferably constructed of wood, and each panel or side orface thereof comprises inner and outer thicknesses 2 and 3 including anintermediate thickness 4 of any suitable cold in sulating material,preferably compo board.

The face of the cabinet as illustrated in Figure 1 has several ways ofgaining access to theinterior of the cabinet where the eggs are hatched.These different ways ofentrance to the cabinet consist of openings 5 atthe upper right and left portions, of the face of the cabinet, and whichare closed by doors 6 hinged at I, and the openings 8 at the lowercentral and right and left hand ends of the face of the cabinet closedby doors 9 and i0 likewise hinged at H. The upper part of the front faceof the cabinet centrally. thereof immediately above the door I0constitutes a solid wall, on which a shelf l2 1 is supported by bracketsl3. Y V I The upper part of the: central solid wall of the front face ofthe cabinet has an opening-1M. closed by a door l5, hinged at-I6. l

The variousdoors 6, 9, I0 and I5 have suitable latches l1. r

Also on the front face of the cabinet above the door I 5 arelay-containing box l8, and an exposed red signal light l9 arearranged. I V Likewise an indicator is supported on the front face ofthe cabinet above the. door l5.

A motor 2| is mounted upon the shelf 12, and its shaft 22 carries a gear23, which in turn meshes with. the gear 24. The gears 23 and" 24V aremounted in the housing 25, and the shaft 261 of the gear 24 carries apulley 21 with which a belt 28 engages and in turn passes about a large,pulley 29 on one end of the stub shaft 30,'which carries a pinion 3|meshing with a gear 32, which is rotatable with a shaft 33; This shaft33 has its forward portion in bearings 34 and 35, the former beingfastened to and carried by a metal bar 36 of an interior skeleton frame31, which is mounted on the interior 38 of the cabinet, and whichskeleton frame may be constructed of any suitable angle elements. Theforward 7 portion of the shaft 33 is also mounted in a bearing plate34a, The other bearing is carried'by an interior water trough orcontainer 39,.which is suspended on the shaft 33 by means. of thebearing 35 and a bearing 40 at the inner end of the trough.v A drum 4|is mounted in the trough 39, which con: tains water, and fixed to theshaft. 33 at 42 is a plurality of moisture gatherers 43, which are inthe form of wire fabric segments as more clearly shown in Figure 5. 7

These wire fabric segments are in staggered relation on the shaft 33, sothat the current of air derived from the rotation of the fan 44 at therear of the inner drum 45, which is surrounded by an outer drum 46, willbe broken up. The two drums 45 and 46 are spaced concentrically androtatable with the shaft 33 through the medium of the spider 41 at therear of the drums, and which spider supports both drums, there being aring 48 which spaces the drums apart. Movable with the ring 48 and thedrums is a circular plate 49, which revolves at the rear of theincubator cabinet. The rear end of the shaft 33 is mounted in a bearing41a of a spider 41.

In order to supply water to the trough 39 a receptacle 56 is mounted onthe shelf |2 carried by the front face of the cabinet, and connected tothe container or receptacle 50 is a pipe 5|, which has a lateral branch52 extending in a direction toward the trough and terminates in aportion 53, which passes through an opening 54a of a plate 54 looselymounted on a shaft 33 at the front end of the drum 46 and throughthefront end wall of the trough, thereby feeding water to the trough, andinto which water the segments 43 dip, As previously stated the segments43 are in staggered relation so that the current of air generated by thefan 44 will not have a direct passage through the drum 4|, but will havean undulated course therethrough. The air will be thoroughly broken upand agitated during its passage through the drum 4|. However a certainamount of the air generated by the fan 44 passes through the drum 45,then back through the drum 46 and thence through the various elongatedslots 55 of the drum 46. The slots 55 are arranged at-intervalsthroughout the cylindrical wall of the drum 46, therefore the .air willdischarge, from polygonal 'pointsrelative to the drum, and since thedrum 46.revolves, the air will have a centrifugal action in circulatingwithin the interior of the cabinet. 7 i

The shafts 56 are mounted in bearings 51 carried by angle plates 58 ofthe skeleton frame 31, and mounted upon the shafts 56 are discs 59, onwhich the outer surface of, the drum 46 is rotatably supported so as toprovide for an even rotation of the two drums, V

The fan 44, at the rear of the drums 45 and 46 e is carriedby a shaft 66of a motor 6|, the rear part of which fits in a depression 62 of a panelor door 63. Supporting plates 64 are secured at 65 to the panel 63, thesupporting plates 64 being adjacent opposite portions of the motor 6|,there being brackets 66 carried by the motor and in turn fastened at 61to the supporting bars 64. In this manner the motor is operativelysupported in position. iThe panel 63 is supported in an opening 61a inthe rear wall of the incubator cabinet by means of the latches 68,Obviously'by'disengagingthe latches the panel or door 63 may be removedand with it the motor and the fan 44, enabling the access to theincubator cabinet from the rear. The usual cord 69 incasing the usualelectric wires is operatively connected at 10 to the motor 6| and isprovided with the usual socket receiving plug II, which may be pluggedin in any suitable electric outlet socket, whereby electrical currentmay be suppliedto the motor.

Supported at 12 adjacent the edges of the opposite sides of the trough39 (which is semicylindrical) areiresistance heatingelements 13, towhich the usual lead wires 14 are connected, which arein circuit withthe motors 2| and 6|, as disclosed in the wiring diagram in Figure 13,and whnthe mechanism of the incubator is in operation electrical currentis furnished to the heating elements, for generating heat centrally ofthe cabinet.

The current of air generated by the fan 44 and being forced through thedrum 45 is heated by the resistance heating elements, and due to themoisture gatherers dipping into the trough 39, the moisture gatheredthereon is vaporized and thereby mixes with the heated air and iscirculated in the interior of the incubator cabinet through the mediumof centrifugal action, that is to say, as it discharges through theslots 55 of the drum 46' as it rotates.

The circular plate 49 carries a lateral cylinrical flange T5, to a bentportion 16 of which pieces of circular wire fabric TI and 18 arefastened, it being noted that the latter pieces are deflected at anangle from the former more clearly shown in Figures 2 and 8, and areadapted to dip into a water trough l9 at the bottom of the cabinetadjacent the rear wall. As the circular plate 49 rotates with the drums45 and 46 the moisture carrying circular pieces H and I8 gather moisturefrom the water in the trough l9, and

which is vaporized by the heated air on the interior of the cabinet.

Just above the trough l9 and approximately centrally thereof areresistance heating elements 86 and 8!, which are also in circuit withthe motors 2| and 6| and the source of current supply over the main leadwires 62 and 83, as shown in the electrical diagram of Figure 13. Theseresistance heating elements also act to heat the air as it circulateswithin the cabinet, and since they are located adjacent and a littleabove the trough l9, the moisture of the circular pieces l1 and 18 isvaporized and mixes with the air, and thereby provides uniformlymoisture laden air, which is agitated and uniformly distributed to allparts of the interior of the cabinet. V

The heating elements 86 and 8| are supported by the brackets 62 and 83,which are secured at 84 to the rear face of the cabinet, there beingdeflectors 85 and 86 carried by the brackets, acting to direct themoisture rising from the water in the trough l9 toward the wire fabricpieces 11 and 18. Since the heating elements and 8| are just above thetrough l9, theheat' from the elements has a tendency to vaporize thewater in the trough, the vapor in turn circulating and mixing with theair on the interior of the cabinet, thereby insuring maintaining theheated air laden with moisture.

As shown in Figure 4 an annular band 81 is supported by angle plates orbrackets 83, and which band substantially encircles the outer edges ofthe wire fabric pieces 1'! and I6 and thereby tend to deflect themoisture laden air toward the eggs supported in the skeleton frame 31.

The water container 89 is located at the rear of the cabinet, moreclearly shown in Figure 8, and has a pipe 90, connecting it with thetrough I9, keeping the trough l9 supplied with water,in

which the wire fabric pieces 11 and 18 travel,

, spectively by the switches 16 and Illa. I

When contact is made between the contacts I62!) and I320 some currentpasses through the resistor coil IUZa, the indicator 20 and the relay I8I; and even .thoughthe; thermostat: opens; current will still passthrough I82 and: IN, the heating element BI icarryi-ng aiportionof theload.

Adjacent the bottomofthe cabinetzin the op-.

i posite end wallsthereof are slide controlledvents 94, while in therear wall of. the cabinet near the center thereof slide controlled'airvents 95 are arrangedifor. the intake of freshair as the fan. rotates.The air vents 94 take in air near the bottom of the cabinet, whilethevents 95 take infresh air at the center of the'cabinet;

The end walls of the cabinet adjacent the top have slide controlledvents 96, which are pro-vv vided for permitting escape of air, thevarious slidesof'allithe vents 94, 95and 96 being'adapted to headjusted: according to the desired, tempera-- ture on the. interior3.78. of the cabinet.

Mounted on the interior 38 of the cabinet and held-in. a properposition, by-means: of a support is conventional type of a thermostat98, wherein the. expansion and contraction. of; the helically.

coiled tube 99 willcause corresponding expansion and contraction of therod I88, whichis connected in a conventional manner'to any well knowntemperature indicating and circuit control device 28,

shown in the circuit diagram in Figure 13, aswell asidentified inFigures 1 and-2. By means of the thermostat 98 the control device28,will indicate the temperature on the interior of the cabinet, aswell-as control the circuit, and by properlyadjusting the various slidecontrolled intake air vents and discharge air vents, a uniform moistureladened-temperature may be maintained on the interior of the cabinet,and due to the rotation of the drum for creating a centrifugal action onthe interior of the cabinet a thorough and uniform distribution ofmoisture ladened air may be maintained throughout all portions of theinterior of the cabinet. The specific wiring diagram in Figure 13 ismerely a conventional arrangement, the same as it is in Figure 18 of theUnited States Letters Patent #2826538 issued in the name of Wilson T.Hager, January '7, 1936 and is not necessarily specifically a part ofthis invention of method.

Experiments have shown that such uniform distribution and uniformmoisture laden air on the interior of the cabinet insures a quicker andsubstantially simultaneous hatch of the eggs. Through the medium ofexperimental tests it has been found preferable to rotate the drums 45and 48 and the circular plate 49 approximately 3 /3 revolutions perminute, thereby creating in addition to uniform distribution of themoisture laden air, a gradual centrifugal action to the air frompolygonal points. The electric circuit shown in Figure 11 includes aconventional relay I8! and a conventional type of transformer I82, whichare housed in a box or container I8 on the front face of the cabinet asshown in Figure 1, the signal light I9 acting to indicate that thecircuit is closed and that the incubator is in operation. When the plugII is inserted into a suitable receptacle, current flows over theconductor 82, through the motors, heating elements, if they be incircuit, and back to the source. The heating elements 13, light I9 andheating element 88'are connected across the conductors 82 and 83 inseries with the contacts I82a. of the relay I8I, so that unless therelay is closed, the said heating elements and light I9 are inactive.The heating element 8| may be placed in circuit or cut out of circuit byproper adjustment of the switch 82 and the heating element 88 may bemade to function with the heating elements 13 or not, accordingiftheswitch 95I is open; or closed. The high and low. contacts. of the:indicator. 28 are; COIL". nected. respectivelyw-ith the conductors, 82and 83 and the magnet of the relay- I8I isconnected; across thehighcontact of the indicator and the.

centercontact I88a. The secondary of: the transformer I82; is. connectedacross the magnet. ofthe relay I8I. If the relay be in open position andthe-thermostat moves to the low side so as to bridge the low contact andthe contact I 880 (Figure 13), current will flow. from the conductor 83to the low contract, thence through the magnet of the relay I8] andreturn to the source of the conductor 82, The magnet is thus energizedand its armaturewill be elevated; tov bridge the contacts. I82a, whencurrent will flow over the conductor 83 to one of the contacts I82a.,thence tothe other, thence through the light I9, and resistances I3 (andresistance 88, if the switch 9.], be closed), returning to the source ofthe conductor 82. But bridging the contacts I82a closes the circuit onthe primary of the trans-.

the magnet of the relay I 8I is short-circuited,

so that it is deprived of current that was previously supplied throughthe secondary of the transformer I82. The relay therefore will drop toopen position and cut out the heating resistances, indicating the factby extinguishing the light I9. On the dropping to the low temperature,the circuit is again closed by thermostat and the'previously describedcycle of opera tion is repeated. The heater I8 is designed to beselectively cut into and out of circuit by the operation of the switch92.

Tubular rods I86 are supported on the horizontal longitudinal angle barsIa, there being clamping plates I81 engaging over the ends of thetubular rods to hold them in position, the clamping plates M1 at therear of the rods being carried by the vertical angle irons I 85 at therear of the frame, while the horizontal angle irons I85a are carried bythe front intermediate vertical strips I851).

At intervals rods I88 pass through the tubular rods I86,'and through thehorizontal longitudinal angle bars I 85a and through the rear verticalstrips I 25 of the covers have flanges I28, which.

engage in between the sides of the tray, to prevent movement of thecovers which are provided for keeping the chickens, when hatched in thetrays, until removed.

A skeleton frame 31 is arranged in the interior 38 of the incubator.This frame is made up of upright corner angle bars and intermediatevertical angle bars I04 and I05, and horizontal longitudinal angle barsl05a. This structure is designed to fit the interior of the hatchingchamber 1 38 of a super incubator cabinet, in a position between thefront and rear walls of the cabinet. It is obvious that this frame maybe of any size according to the dimensions of the cabinet. The parts ofthe frame 31 are assembled in such wise as to support trays of eggs insuper-imposed positions and in a number of tiers.

While the heated air is directed in an undulated course and thencentrifugally distributed, it is obvious that when said heated airleaves the central drum 46 the travel or flow of said air, more or less,assumes an intermittent or periodical interruption, which is due to thenarrowness, circumferentially, of the slots 55, in the Wall of thecentral drum 46 and also due to the broadness, circumferentially, of thewall portions (between the slots 55) of thecentral drum 46, In otherwords, when said heated air leaves the central drum 46, it slows upperceptibly periodically in its travel or flow, to all portions of thehatching chamber, but even though this periodical slowing up occurs at46a, said heated air will reach all portions and corners of saidhatching chamber, thereby insuring thorough hatching of all the eggssupported in said chamber. By slowing up the heated air in this manner,said heated air does not flow too forcibly to all portions and cornersof said chamber, as to cause a back flash of said heated air, therebycausing a thorough uniform temperature. r

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is: v

1. In a method for hatching eggs, the steps consisting in introducingfresh air into the hatching chamber of an incubator, generating heat andmixing it with said air, impelling said heated air in an undulatedcourse, producing water vapor, and moistening said heated air with it,centrifugally distributing said heated and moistened air in saidchamber, introducing additional fresh air in said chamber, generatingwater-vapor and introducing additional moisture into said chamber,mixing said additional fresh air and watervapor with the firstwater-vapor laden air, and thermostatically so controlling thetemperature and the heating of the air that the temperature and moistureof the air, before it strikes the eggs, will be constant and uniform.

2. In a method for hatching eggs, the steps consisting in introducingfresh air into the hatching chamber of an incubator, generating heat andmixing it with said air, impelling said heated air in an undulatedcourse, producing water vapor, and moistening said heated air with it,centrifugally distributing said heated and moistened air in saidchamber, introducing additional fresh air in said chamber, generatingwater-vapor and introducing additional moisture into said chamber,mixing said additional fresh air and Water-vapor with the firstWater-Vapor laden air and automatically controlling the temperature andthe heating of the air, so that the temperature and moisture of the air,before it strikes the eggs, will be constant and uniform.

WILSON T. HAGER.

